Lamp receptacle



April 16, 1963 L. ATKIN LAMP RECEPIACLE Filed Sept. 21, 1960 INVEN TOR.[EDA 460 Are/M United States Patent Q 3,086,104 LAMP RECEPTACLE LeonardAtkin, Springfield, N.J., assignor, by mesne assignments, to StoncoElectric Products Company, Kenilworth, N.J., a corporation of New JerseyFiled Sept. 21, 1960, Ser. No. 57,517

' Claims. (Cl. 240--3) This invention relates generally to electric lampreceptacles or holders and particularly to receptacles or holders forelectric lamps commonly known as reflector flood or spot lamps.

The invention is devoted primarily to the solution of a number ofproblems which are often encountered in the employment of such lamps inreceptacles or holders of conventional design. Thus, since conventionalreceptacles or holders of the character indicated are often not easilyassemblable and disassemblable With the lamps intended for employmenttherewith, considerable time may be required for such purposes.Moreover, since the lamps are frequently disposed in relativelyinaccessible areas of such receptacles or holders, the manipulation ofsaid lamps in said areas presents no little degree of difiiculty, mayrequire special lamp handling tools and complex lamp sockets. Moreover,such inaccessibility also makes difficult the alignment of the lamp inproper position within the receptacle or holder.

The present invention overcomes these shortcomings. Thus, it is anobject of the invention to provide a receptacle of the characterindicated having improved means for the assembly and disassemblytherewith of the lamp intended for use with such receptacle.

A further object of the invention is to provide a receptacle of thecharacter indicated wherein the means for seating and aligning the lampintended for employment therewith aids in the quick and eflicientremoval of said lamp from said receptacle.

A further object of the invention is to provide a receptacle of thecharacter indicated which has improved means for securing the lensthereof in operative position, which means also permits rapid andeflicient disassembly of the said lens.

A further object of the invention is to provide a receptacle of thecharacter indicated which provides for disposition of the lamp intendedfor use therein in an easily accessible area. A further object of theinvention is to provide a receptacle of the character indicated whichrequires no special tools or equipment for the assembly therewith of thelamp used therein or for removal of said lamp.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a receptacle ofthe character indicated which does not require a socket of complexdesign to accomplish seating and alignment of the lamp employedtherewith in operative position.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a receptacle ofthe character indicated which utilizes a small number of parts and is ofsimple and economical design.

Other and further objects of the present invention will become apparentfrom the following description as read in connection with theaccompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the inventiondepicted in partially assembled condition.

FIGURE 2 is a front view of said embodiment of the invention; and

FIGURE 3 is an exploded cross-sectional view taken about the line 3--3of FIGURE 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows disposed in thevicinity of the ends of said line 3-3.

As shown in FIGURE =1 of the accompanying drawing,

3,086,104 Patented Apr. 16, 1963 pr ce the embodiment of the inventionthere depicted may be advantageously mounted, as upon a block 10, bymeans of a U-shaped bracket 11, which is pivoted horizontally about afastening means, such as a bolt 12, which is secured to said block .10and which also permits vertical pivotable motion of a housing 13 withrespect to the bracket 11, said housing being pivotably mounted therein,as by a suitable screw 14 disposed in each arm of said bracket. Thus,the housing may be pivoted in any desired direction.

As appears in greater detail in FIGURES 2 and 3, the housing 13 has agenerally bell-shaped conformation and is provided with a boss 13a whichseats a resilient bracket 15 of generally U-shaped form and having apair of substantially parallel arms 15a and an intermediate web 15bconnecting said arms. The bracket 15 is secured to said boss by asuitable fastening means such as a screw 16 extending through said bossand threadedly engaged with the web of said bracket.

A socket 17 of conventional design is removably embraceable by said arms15a and is provided with suitable electric conductors 18 leading fromthe socket in the usual manner disposable through an aperture 13a formedin the housing. The socket 17 also removably receives the electricalprongs of a sealed beam lamp 19 of conven tional design.

An important feature of the invention resides in the means for seatingsaid lamps within the housing in operative position and for removalthereof when relamping is desired. To accomplish such means, a resilientmember such as a coil spring 20 is received within the housing. Aplurality of ribs 13b are formed upon the internal periphery of thehousing and are interrupted to provide a series of shoulders 21, thesaid coil spring being seated upon said shoulders in the mannerhereinafter described. Thus, for this purpose a pair of diametricallyoppositely disposed bosses 22 are formed upon the internal periphery ofthe housing, each of said bosses 22 being provided with a borethreadedly engaged with a fastening element such as a screw 23. The headof each such screw 23 is proud of the face 22a of the boss in which itis disposed and extends laterally to engage an end coil 20a of the coilspring 20, thereby maintaining said end coil in contact with theshoulders 21 and with the face 22a of each said boss.

The lamp 19 is provided with an arcuate periphery 19a which isreceivable in yieldably supporting contact with the other end coil 20bof the coil spring 20, said lamp being depressible upon the coil spring20 so as to dispose the socket -17 within the embrace of the bracketarms 15a. In this position of the lamp, one side of its rim 19b facingtowards the inward portion of the housing, hereinafter referred to forconvenience as the inwardly facing marginal perimeter 19c of the rim, isseatable against an annular shoulder 24 provided upon the internalperiphery of the housing, the lamp thereby being aligned in operativedirection.

Maintenance of contact between said side of its rim 19b and the annularshoulder 24 is assured by virtue of a plurality of annularly spaced leafsprings 25 which are aflixed upon the internal marginal perimeter of themouth of the housing within grooves defined by walls formed integrallywith the housing. The leaf springs have yieldable portions 25a which arein inclined position and contactable with said inwardly facing marginalperimeter of the rim 19b during insertion of the lamp within thehousing, said yieldable portions 25a being resiliently bendable by saidlamp in a direction substantially parallel to. the axis of the housingto permit disposition of said marginal perimeter 190 of the rim 19bagainst the annular shoulder 24 as aforesaid. When this last-mentionedposition has been attained, the yieldably resilient portions 25a of theleaf springs 25 will spring back to their inclined position. Each ofsaid yieldable portions 25a is provided with a curved end face 25b whichwill be disposed in contact with that portion of the rim 1% which facestoward the mouth of the housing when said rim is disposed upon theannular shoulder 24, as aforesaid, said portion of the rim facing towardthe mouth of the housing being hereinafter referred to as the outwardlyfacing marginal perimeter 19d of the rim 1917.

Thus, when the lamp is disposed in contact with the annular shoulder 24,the end faces 25b of the leaf springs 25 will yieldably lock said lampwithin the housing.

If removal of the lamp be desired, it can be accomplished quickly andefiiciently by manual depression of the yieldable portions 25a of theleaf springs 25 in a direction radially outward of the axis of thehousing, thereby withdrawing the end faces 25b of the leaf springs 25from contact with the outwardly facing marginal perimeter 19d of the rim1% and permitting the coil spring 20 to force the lamp out of the mouthof the housing.

When the lamp is seated upon the annular shoulder 24 of the housing, asfor operative purposes, it is protected from external injury by thehousing and by a lens 26 which is seated upon an annular gasket 27composed of rubber or other similar elastomeric material and seated uponannular shoulder 28 formed upon the marginal perimeter of the mouth ofthe housing. Said lens is secured against accidental radial displacementwith respect to said housing by a plurality of positioning or locatingfingers 29 formed integrally with the housing.

The lens is also secured against axial withdrawal from the gasket 27 bya retaining ring or clamp 30 which is pivotably securable, as by arcuateends 30a engaged with a pair of screws 31, threadedly engageable witheither of two pairs of bosses 32, 33 formed upon the external peripheryof the housing. Said clamp 30 is contactable with a flange 26a providedat the marginal perimeter of the lens and is provided with a loop 30bengaged with a knurled thumbscrew 34 removably engageable with either ofa pair of oppositely disposed threaded bores 35 provided in axiallyparallel bosses 36 formed integrally with the housing. The engagement ofthe thumbscrew 34 with the loop 3% may be maintained by a washer 37threadedly engaged with said thumbscrew and contactable with said loops3012.

When removal of the lens is desired as, for example, during relamping,the thumbscrew may be unscrewed from its engagement with the aperture ofone of the bores 36 and pivoted with the retaining ring or clamp, as tothe position depicted in FIGURE 3, thereby permitting the lens to belifted out of the mouth of the lamp.

It will also be observed that when the lens is disposed in operativeposition, as upon the aforesaid annular gasket in the housing, theposition of the lens is substantially forward of the lamp, therebyforming an airspace between said lamp and lens and reducing the heatradiated to said "lens by the lamp.

It will be seen from the foregoing that withdrawal of the retaining ringor the clamp from its secured contact with the lens, followed by removalthereof from the housing and radial depression of the leaf springs,permits the coil spring to push the lamp out of the housing where it canbe removed from its socket and replaced by another lamp, as desired.When thus replaced, the new lamp may be assembled in operative positionwithin the housing and the lens resecured thereto by reversal of thesteps set forth above.

The foregoing embodiment of the invention illustrated and describedhereinabove have been selected for the purpose of clearly setting forththe principles involved. It will be apparent, however, that the presentinvention is susceptible to being modified in respect to details ofconstruction, combination and arrangement of parts which may be resortedto without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention asclaimed.

I claim:

1. A lamp assembly comprising a housing closed at one end thereof andopen at the opposing end, socket mounting means provided at said closedend, a coil compression spring disposed centrally within said housing,means provided on the inner housing surface to define a seat for one endof said spring, said socket mounting means being disposed adjacent saidseat and axially of said spring, annular means provided on the innersurface of said housing between said spring seat and the open end ofsaid housing to define a lamp seat, lamp retaining spring means providedon the inner housing surface between the open end thereof and said lampseat and extending toward the latter, a lens closing the open end ofsaid housing, and lens retainer means pivotally mounted on said housing,the other end of said spring being free to move axially of said springand being disposed substantially adjacent to said lens in the relaxedcondition of said spring for engagement by a lamp.

2. A lamp assembly as in claim 1, and a lamp and socket assemblyprovided within said housing; said socket extending through said coilspring and being seated in said socket mounting means; said lamp havingone surface facing the closed end of said housing and a second surfacefacing the open end of said housing; said one lamp surface engaging saidsocket, said lamp seat and said other end of said spring to compresssaid spring; and said lamp retaining means releasably resilientlyengaging said second lamp surface to retain the lamp within said housingagainst the bias of said coil spring.

3. A lamp assembly as in claim 1, said housing being of bell-shapedconformation, said spring seat being defined by ribs provided on theinternal periphery of said housing and said lamp seat being defined byan annular shoulder provided on the internal periphery of said housing.

4. A lamp assembly as in claim 3, means defining grooves at the internalperiphery of said housing, said grooves being disposed between saidannular shoulder and the open end of said housing, said lamp retainingspring means being leaf springs each having one end secured in a grooveand projecting therefrom toward said annular shoulder.

5. A lamp assembly as in claim 3, and means to secure the inner end ofsaid coil spring in abutment with said ribs.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

1. A LAMP ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A HOUSING CLOSED AT ONE END THEREOF ANDOPEN AT THE OPPOSING END, SOCKET MOUNTING MEANS PROVIDED AT SAID CLOSEDEND, A COIL COMPRESSION SPRING DISPOSED CENTRALLY WITHIN SAID HOUSING,MEANS PROVIDED ON THE INNER HOUSING SURFACE TO DEFINE A SEAT FOR ONE ENDOF SAID SPRING, SAID SOCKET MOUNTING MEANS BEING DISPOSED ADJACENT SAIDSEAT AND AXIALLY OF SAID SPRING, ANNULAR MEANS PROVIDED ON THE INNERSURFACE OF SAID HOUSING BETWEEN SAID SPRING SEAT AND THE OPEN END OFSAID HOUSING TO DEFINE A LAMP SEAT, LAMP RETAINING SPRING MEANS PROVIDEDON THE INNER HOUSING SURFACE BETWEEN THE OPEN END THEREOF AND SAID LAMPSEAT AND EXTENDING TOWARD THE LATTER, A LENS CLOSING THE OPEN END OFSAID HOUSING, AND LENS RETAINER MEANS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID HOUSING,THE OTHER END OF SAID SPRING BEING FREE TO MOVE AXIALLY OF SAID SPRINGAND BEING DISPOSED SUBSTANTIALLY ADJACENT TO SAID LENS IN THE RELAXEDCONDITION OF SAID SPRING FOR ENGAGEMENT BY A LAMP.